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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446992">Is it Wrong to have Faith in a Corrupt Man?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymien66/pseuds/gaymien66'>gaymien66</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark Detective - Freeform, Future State - Freeform, M/M, Nakano's son which hasnt been born yet and also doesn't have a name, request</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:15:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,410</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446992</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymien66/pseuds/gaymien66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Christopher Nakano was always a good cop, staying on the straight and narrow. Bruce blames himself for how far Nakano has fallen, and still manages to have faith in him during the Magistrate's ruling, even if in doubt. Confronting the mayor face to face leads to an unexpected result.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(One sided) Bruce Wayne/Christopher Nakano, Bruce Wayne &amp; Christopher Nakano, Bruce Wayne/Christopher Nakano</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Is it Wrong to have Faith in a Corrupt Man?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It started as nothing, really.</p><p>Christopher Nakano was just a young rookie cop when he met him- Bright, young and hopeful. Wanted to make a positive change in the world, not too unlike his friend at the time, Harvey Dent. It was how he met him, actually: Despite being a rookie, despite being nothing more than a patrolman, Harvey Dent had taken a liking to him. Not hard, with how often he had visited the GCPD in his DA years, mostly for evidence, meeting with <em> him </em> , as Batman, and so-forth. Their friendship was evident, Jim Gordon too, and it was appreciative. At the time, there weren't many good cops. Arguably, it didn't get incredibly better over the years, and certainly <em> now </em> , he would say it had gotten worse. But Nakano was always a <em> good cop </em>, in the same way Gotham's Apollo was a good man. And he admired that.</p><p>It stayed that way for a good while. Occasionally seeing him when he visited Harvey, as himself or as Batman, and afterwards when he'd visit Jim and the GCPD. Mostly as Batman. He was nice. Nice and passionate. As anyone would expect, and Bruce being Bruce, it did develop into a more attached feeling for someone he'd barely spoken to. Appreciated turned into admiration, admiration turned into what would most accurately be called a crush- not a <em> real </em> crush, obviously, but the sort a young teenager would have for their fellow classmates. Definitely not uncommon for Bruce, even if he would never admit it, and it certainly got worse when he actually talked to the people.</p><p>Didn't help that Nakano was <em> cute. </em> Slim, short, dark hair and black eyes. Clothes that were always a little too big on him because GCPD uniforms never did fit right. <em> Unfair </em>.</p><p>Conclusion was, Nakano had always been on the straight and narrow, and he didn't recognise him the night the accident happened. It was late. He hasn't slept in days: His <em> birthday </em> was spent amidst the Joker Warzone, trying to lessen the casualties. Trying to manage himself and help <em> Gotham </em> . He was defusing a bomb set by Joker, for him, a <em> birthday present, </em> when Nakano and his partner, Bart if he recalls, burst in and triggered the bomb. He still remembers the way Bart screamed, the smell of burning flesh, the way <em> Nakano </em> screamed. All common sights, smells and sounds to him now. He's been at this too long. At least, in the moment, he pushed Nakano to safety so he wouldn't suffer the same fate as his partner.</p><p>Bruce didn't find out that the man he saved, and he uses that term very vaguely, was the same cop he'd admired for his dedication for all those years until later the next morning, after having enough time between managing a warzone to find out who had been hurt in the crossfire that night. Nakano had lost his eye- His right eye, and had been hospitalized. He paid off his medical bill without hesitation. The guilt ate him alive ever since, just as much as any other casualty in this stupid game Joker had him play.</p><p>No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring it upon himself to blame Nakano for his growing anti-vigilante sentiment when he moved on from the GCPD to run in Gotham City's mayoral election. He <em> understood </em> how it felt to be lost in the anger; lost in something you <em> believe </em> is righteous. So he tried his hardest to give Nakano the benefit of the doubt. The benefit of the act he <em> knew him </em> . His points were not even wrong, and Bruce had let them sink in after listening to a few of his speeches. Masks. What they stood for, in essence, could be dangerous. A masked identity, hiding away from consequences. People keep <em> dying </em> , because of <em> him </em> . Nakano got hurt because Joker was aiming for <em> him </em> . Not Bruce Wayne. His <em> mask </em>.</p><p>He wanted to help Nakano. He <em> needed </em> to help Nakano from the dark place he had fallen into, his intentions were good, his clouded by misguided anger. Tried to nudge him in the right direction; Pay for Nakano’s prosthetic eye after the damage that happened. Next time he saw him, his eye was still covered by his eyepatch. He assumes it was firmly rejected, and that hurt something inside him. Helpless against it, it was like watching <em> Harvey Dent </em> succumb to Two-Face a second time around. Misguided <em> justice. </em></p><p>This sentiment swallowed Gotham whole. Mirror’s gang hyped up Gotham against the Bats that governed the city nights; Once a symbol of hope, people only dwelled in resentment after the devastation of Joker War. Naturally, Nakano won the election, while he was dealing with… An old friend, so to speak. At first, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t instant. Easy to ignore, once you got used to dodging the police and anyone else who has ramped up against the Bats; Busy with Scarecrow, busy listening to <em> Ghostmaker </em> call him a fucking idiot for letting Nakano stay for so long. But he didn’t control the politics in Gotham, it was just a sign he needed to do <em> better </em> . Not the first time he’s dodged cops, much like the start of his career, and Ghostmaker was more than an <em> expert </em> in it.</p><p>It was A-Day that changed things.</p><p>It was <em> A-Day </em> that made it more and more apparent that things weren’t getting better. His technology, Wayne Enterprises technology, owned by Lucius Fox, was in Nakano’s hands and the GCPD’s hands. It wouldn’t hurt, of course, better tech can be utilized against criminals to improve the system, and let the city rely on something more than a Batsignal. Flaws the city has had for years now. It turned against him. It always turns against him. The GCPD’s new technology didn’t do anything to scratch the surface against A-Day. It was wearing him down; wearing <em> Nakano </em> down. Both tired. Both trying to fight for the city, both clouded by misjudgement. Misjudging Nakano’s character. The Magistrate was pulled in. A private army. It became increasingly difficult to see Nakano as a good man. Gotham felt like it changed overnight: The new companies that settled in Gotham with the blow to Wayne Enterprise only ramped up under Gotham’s new ruling. An <em> independent city state </em> , escaping consequences and laws of the wider America. Gotham wasn’t the only place changing. <em> Everything was. </em> Technology ramped up it’s advancement, law enforcement got more and more severe that even being <em> Batman </em> was difficult. </p><p>And then Batman and Bruce Wayne were killed.</p><p>The signs were all there. He could have stopped it. He <em> should have stopped it. </em> But he kept putting his faith in Nakano, and look where it got him. Desperate not to lose another. Finding a new identity was the most difficult: Laying low for a long while, finding an apartment, somewhere to scrape up money, making a new suit to continue his work as <em> The Dark Detective </em> . Investigating his own murder, <em> why </em> the Magistrate, <em> Nakano </em>, ordered his death. Still, after all of this, it didn’t add up. Was it wrong to still think that Nakano wasn’t- Bad? </p><p>That’s what he was going to find out. Not as Bruce Wayne. Not as Batman; Someone new, no technology, just his detective skills and fighting capability. The Mayor’s house was surrounded by security and drones, but after having picked them apart (And spending enough time with Ghostmaker…), they were easily evaded. He managed not to trip any of the security systems as he got inside, being cautious of any guards and robots on standby. This wasn’t a violent confrontation, he just needed to <em> talk </em> . Talk to the mayor of Gotham, the man who was once a <em> good cop </em>. </p><p>
  <em> --Shit. </em>
</p><p>He shoved back into a corner, holding his breath at the sight of someone recognizable as <em> Peacekeeper-01 </em> . The man who had killed him in the first place, walking out of Nakano’s office. He calmed his heart, watching out the corner of his eye as Peacekeeper-01 <em> stopped, </em> and looked around, gritting his teeth. He was already planning how to bolt out of the building and dump this entire plot. But, by a stroke of miracle, 01 continued on. He waited maybe five minutes, for safety’s sake, the adrenaline pumping in a familiar feeling. Back to the task on hand.</p><p>The keypad was easy to unlock, slight marks left from 01 unlocking the door, and he inched the door open, just a crack, to peer inside. Couldn’t see much; Nakano’s office wasn’t even especially filled with technology. Where was he-</p><p>“Dada, why sad? Is man bad?” </p><p>Bruce froze up at the distinct sound of a <em> child </em> . A toddler, Nakano coming into view in the slight crack, holding a glass of whiskey, pacing back and forth with that same eyepatch on. He had a <em> child? </em> He knew he was married, but… He never knew what came of that. Didn’t have time to keep up. He pities all children who have to grow up in modern-day Gotham. It wasn’t right, not even for the child of a dictator. Still. It was hard not to sympathize; He didn’t even <em> know </em> where Damian was. If he was even <em> alive </em>. He misses his family.</p><p>“Shh, baby. Don’t worry about it, alright?” he heard the sound of his glass being placed down, and shifting. Continuing to pace, Nakano held what looked to be a two year old toddler. Maybe older. “Daddy just needs to think everything out, okay? Don’t worry yourself, what you should be worried about is what you’re getting for dinner tonight…” Nakano’s voice broke. He sounded like He’d been crying. No time to stand around and listen, cautious of people being able to just <em> walk into the hall </em> , he pushed the door open, quickly, and closed it behind him. Nakano’s head shot instantly towards him, holding the child tighter. The child <em> giggled </em>. Looked like a boy.</p><p>Bruce raised his hands, showing they were empty with a slow walk around the edge of the room. “I’m unarmed. I just want to talk. Don’t want to cause a commotion, it wouldn’t be very good for your son there,”</p><p>“Like <em> hell </em> . Give me one reason why I shouldn’t <em> shoot you. </em>”</p><p>“Well- The obvious reason is you’re holding a child-”</p><p>“Who <em> are you </em> ?” Nakano hissed between barred teeth, his son trying to ask something, with Nakano gently rocking them in his arms, With a hush, he put him down onto the desk. Bruce tilted his head to him, furrowing his brows under the mask. “I don’t recall there being <em> three Batmen.” </em></p><p>“That’s a good question,” Bruce wetted his lips, “I want to help.” Nakano wasn’t reaching for a gun, which he found the most surprising. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he was expecting. He hated using a child for a bargaining chip…</p><p>“I want you dead,” Nakano reminded him, snapping with a grip on the desk. His glare was strong, fierce. That same passion was behind them, but it was dull. Almost lost. “All of you. Coming here was a mistake.</p><p>“You’re not in control here, are you?” Bruce questioned, the circling around the room letting him take a step closer to him. Nakano watched the step; Bruce straightened his back with confidence with Nakano’s silence. “I think you have a gun against your head just as much as Bruce Wayne had one against his for being nothing but a threat to the Magistrate’s control, and he was killed for it. Is that what Peacekeeper-01 was here for? <em> Politics? </em> Let me help. You want to fix Gotham just as much as-”</p><p>“You know <b> <em>nothing</em> </b> about me,” Nakano hissed, turning his head as the toddler let out a soft whimper. His expression softened, gently brushing a hand through the child’s black hair as a form of comfort. This was a broken man… “You can’t help me. You need to leave.”</p><p>Nakano was shaking. Bruce’s best guess is that his appearance certainly didn’t help. “You were a good cop,” Bruce reminded him, “You just wanted to help. People like Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon can confirm this, you’ve just hurt. If you let me, I can get you somewhere safe with your son.”</p><p>“I can’t,” Nakano’s voice broke, “I’m- This is my fault. I’m already a dead man, but I can’t risk working with a <em> mask </em>. If I try to leave they might try to hurt him,” The child broke out into a soft cry, Nakano shushing him to pick him back up, rocking him in his arms.</p><p>“...” Bruce sighed. “I’m sorry. Nobody deserves your fate. I’ve stood in your shoes before, Nakano, I- I care about you. I care about <em> everyone </em> . If you come with me, I can <em> explain </em> . I’m sorry about your partner, about your <em> eye </em>.”</p><p>Nakano squeezed his eye shut with a sigh. “You should have left,” Nakano whispered out. “Please don’t mention Bart. I’m too tired, <em> Batman </em>. I’m sorry: Please take him.”</p><p>Bruce opened his mouth to try to respond, his head whipping quickly to the door being shoved open, the familiar sight of Peacekeeper-01’s gun in his face. A beat of a <em> fraction </em> of a second, he ducked down, the gunshot scraping his cheek with the taste of blood. Nakano was looking directly at him, his last words repeating in his head with the child’s crying being drowned out by a second gunshot, pushing to tackle Nakano down onto the ground, hugging the child to his chest as Nakano loosened his grip. He matched eye contact with him, briefly, before jumping onto the desk and kicking through the window. The blaring of the security alarm rang in his ears, Bruce’s first impulse being to strip the bullet proof vest, wrapping the toddler in it with a leap to the nearest building. Drones were following them, much too alerted of his presence: Needed to get into a dead zone. <em> Fast. </em></p><p>He heard another gunshot. It wasn’t directed at him.</p><p>Nothing helped an escape more than carrying a <em> toddler </em> , out of sheer necessity to <em> survive </em> . Alone in an alleyway, pulling his mask off to slump down against the wall. He held the child, looking them in their overly wet eyes, he clenched his jaw with a slow rock of them, trying to calm their crying. Didn’t want them to give it away. <em> Fuck </em>. Was Nakano okay?</p><p>“Hello, little one. My name’s Bruce Wayne,” Bruce’s voice cracked. “And I’m going to be taking care of you for a while. Please don’t cry…”</p>
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